Field
The present invention generally relates to surgical devices and procedures, particularly devices and methods for the delivery of implants within a patient's body.
Description of the Related Art
Pelvic health for men and women is a medical area of high importance. Examples of common pelvic ailments include incontinence (e.g. fecal and urinary), pelvic tissue prolapse (e.g. female vaginal prolapse), and other conditions of the pelvic floor.
Many surgical options have been developed for the correction of Urinary Incontinence due to hypermobility and/or Intrinsic Sphincteric Deficiency. One type of surgical procedure found to be a successful treatment option is an implant-based procedure. It involves placement of bodily implants under a bladder neck or a mid-urethra or any other location to provide a support platform.
Some slings or implants for incontinence repair are delivered with long sleeves that cover or enclose the implant and protect bodily tissues. A sleeve can be a single piece sleeve or a two piece sleeve that are attached on contra lateral sides and joined near the midpoint. The tension of the sling is then adjusted based on patient requirements after delivery within the body. In some cases, an additional tension may be inadvertently induced while removal of the sleeves. Since the sling is almost completely enclosed or confined within the single piece or connected sleeve, the sleeve may not allow the sling to stretch properly during adjustment or positioning. This may also not allow the sling to conform to the contour of dissected anatomy to allow the physician to feel or gauge correct positioning or tension of the sling.
Further, some existing sleeves contact the sling over a large surface area. This may result in an increased frictional resistance between the sling material and the sleeve material that opposes pulling of sleeve from the sling during removal. As a result, the frictional resistance may reposition the sling or disturb the sling location or tension. For example, in some cases, the sling may get stretched more than required while in other cases, it may be loosened. And, both the situations may yield in an inappropriate sling placement; and hence, an ineffective or wrong or incorrect treatment.
In view of the above, there is a need of a method and a device that allows removal of the sleeves from the implant without altering the sling tension or location and also provides an operator with an improved visual and tactile feedback to adjust or readjust the implant.